Mayor Max and Meadow’s birthdays this Saturday

Phyllis Mueller’s “office of Mayor Max” will celebrate the first birthday of Mayor Max III and Vice Mayor Meadow from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9. Mountain Paws will host the party and the public, human and four-legged, is invited.

Mueller promises a lively time: VIPs both human (Leonard Purvis, formerly captain of Riverside County Sheriff’s Hemet Station) and furry (Ajay the Llama, “We’ll try to make sure he doesn’t spit.”). Special guests will include Max and Meadow’s mother, Storm. The family have not seen (or smelled) each other since the pair were picked up in Utah in November 2022. Two members of this year’s litter, Hawkins and Cassie, will accompany Storm. Food, refreshments and even a band are included.

The various Mayors Max have been the figureheads of an impressive philanthropic and animal welfare activism effort by Mueller and her husband Glenn Warren. They have been fielding a golden retriever mayor since July 1, 2012, so are now two months into their 12th year.

“It has been wonderful, a complete joy,” she said. “A lot of work, but I love doing it. For example, during COVID I did 1,400 private visits at my house. I made them drive to the house; I couldn’t draw a crowd. They met him on the driveway; they had to wear masks. I only allowed one car at a time. They lined up in the driveway. The school and hospital visits we did on FaceTime, and we did meetings on Zoom. Across the U.S., Malaysia, the UK, Brazil. We still do that. We do it in real time; we got a call 11:30 one night, guys having a party. They wanted to meet the mayor. And girls are often so effusive.”

Mueller estimates that she and the mayors have met over 1 million people during this adventure. This is not implausible; taking out a year for COVID-19, that still leaves over 500 weekends; and anyone who has visited or passed by the throngs of visitors that mob Mayor Max and his entourage downtown during their weekly “meet and greets” will agree that 2,000 a week is a possibility. Then there are the innumerable visits to hospitals and senior living facilities, and parties: “Labor Day I have so many events: Private parties, a bachelor party, a wedding, the Idyllwild Area Historical Society …”

Then there is the more serious part of the mission: helping people in material or spiritual need. “We have created Mayor Max’s Peace on Earth Team, called POET, and that’s where we ask people to help create peace on Earth through their loving actions.” It is not a charity seeking donations but seek to find donors (“angels”) who can help a neighbor. Several elders experiencing or in danger of homelessness have been assisted in finding affordable rentals or given RVs or trailers. Beyond comforting words for those in grief, they have managed to find pro-bono help for those in dark passages. She coaches and mentors when she can and remains a friend to those she meets.

“My husband and I are in the top 10 donors to Citizens for Human Rights [Citizens Committee for Human Rights, a mental health ‘watch dog’ organization founded by the Church of Scientology] and are passionate animal rights activists; we believe animals should have the same rights as humans. That is why we are vegetarians.”

All this whirlwind of activity is in addition to continuing to run a business, Mueller Worldwide, providing marketing and sales services to corporations. Mueller tries to schedule mayoral visits around her duties as CEO.